The ESA has announced that we are sending a satellite to Mercury! It will be launched in 2013, so some way off. And it will it take six years to get there, but still, something to look forward too!

It's good to hear that we are keeping up with the Americans, even though I believe that their satellite to Mercury has recently got there.

On a side note, what does everyone think of the huge sums of money involved in these sort of missions?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7195374.stm

Personally, I think that it's important that we do discover things about how we were formed, where we came from etc and going to Mercury helps us understand the formation of the solar system. If not for human curiosity, then for the technology that can't be predicted, but comes out of space exploration.

It's great that the ESA are planning to do this, can't let the Americans have all the fun!

I can't agree more with you Alex

I'm sorry to be boring but I really do think that it is such a lot of money to do something that ultimately will not make a difference to anyones lives apart from a few astronomers and scientists! It will be very interesting, but all the good causes the millions of pounds could be going to is a bit scary. Of course I do realise that if it wasn't spent on this doesn't mean it would necceassarily go to a good cause.

You do have some good points there Richard. I think that it would be amazing to see what is on the planet, and if there is any life on it!...
I don't think there will actually be life on Mercury, because it is way to close to the sun, so it will be too hot to support life.
There may actually be the odd bacteria or something like that, but nothing to amazing, like aliens or eight legged hippo liked creatures or anything like that.

This post was last modified: 27-01-2008 06:30 PM by Jamie Wade.

As I've said before though, understanding the universe leads - sometimes directly and sometimes indirectly - to new technologies that do help people. Going to Mercury isn't going to help anyone directly, but our increased knowledge of the universe and how it works will.

There are going to be some huge cuts in astronomy by the government which is terrible. In the last few days we pulled out of a project we had already invested 70 million in to save 6 million to cover a shortfall so we will now be unable to use the new equipment. That really is a waste of money and time, and astronomers are furious.

What a waste of money pulling out of that project is. I understand that means that UK astronomers are effectively blind to the Northern Hemisphere? Also I've heard that up to three university physics departments will have to close, yet the media studies departments don't seem to be having any problems at all!

That's right, it means British astronomers won't be able to do any of the cutting edge research there with the telescope that really we paid a huge amount for. Physicists are questioning not just the government budget cuts but the way this contract has been handled, I don't think the people sorting it out are up to the job.